The MoFo Top 100 Film Noir Countdown

Due to a busy weekend, I missed a couple of days, but I am happy to report that I am no longer a member of the 0-fer club! I have seen not one, but two of this weekend's entries, and one of them even made my ballot. I have seen both This Gun for Hire and Dark Passage!

This Gun for Hire was #25 on my list, just making it. Not the strongest noir, but both leads were great and it contains some fantastic shots.



2/26

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0/26

Time to see who blinks first.

Finally, one I've seen: The Confidential Report/Mr. Arkadin, which I enjoyed well enough, but not enough to put on my ballot. Like Christopher Nolan's Following, there's too much cake and not enough icing for me to fully embrace it; in other words, the story's clever, but aside from the cinematography and Welles' beard, there's not a whole lot about the characters, performances, etc. that leaves a lasting impression. The best thing about it is this bit of financial advice: "a fool is a man who pays twice for the same thing."

#74 The Blue Dahlia (1946)

Director: George Marshall
Production: Paramount Pictures
Cast: Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix
41 Points, 5 Lists

#73 Brute Force (1947)

Director: Jules Dassin
Production: Mark Hellinger Productions
Cast: Burt Lancaster, Hume Cronyn, Charles Bickford
42 Points, 2 Lists

Watched both of these for list prep. Liked both rating them a 3.5. Not strong enough to get on my list though.

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Letterboxd

Seen both, voted for neither. I thought Brute Force was well made with good performances. The Blue Dahlia was fine, but I felt it should have been more interesting.

Seen: 27/28

I liked that quote too, it's similar to the Rule of Acquisition #3 'Never spend more for an acquisition than you have to.'

0/28

Dark Passage was an enjoyable solid noir I would place it somewhere between 50-60 on my personal noir list. Same goes for Brute Force but l felt only the flashbacks had the typical Film Noir elements. Burt Lancaster's flashback was my favorite scene of the film, just perfect.

SEEN 5/28
BALLOT 00/25

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Entertainment Log
Letterboxd profile

I like both films, more so The Blue Dahlia. Here's a quality Lake/Ladd Noir!

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"Don't be so gloomy. After all it's not that awful. Like the fella says, in Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love - they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

So far we've had two Ladd and Lake pairings (This Gun For Hire & The Blue Dahlia) will we have more?

I'm going to guess that The Glass Key will show up within the next few days.

I wish. I did not vote for The Glass Key (it was on my short list) but it is by far my favorite. Any fans of Joel & Ethan Coen's Miller's Crossing who haven't stumbled across it yet, do yourself a favor. It's my favorite Bendix role, too.

But I can't see it placing on this list above those two more famous flicks. We shall see.

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"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

Brute Force was one of my last cuts. A very good film.

Haven't seen either film.

Again, haven't seen either of these, but Brute Force in particular sounds like something I would dig. I've been catching up with a lot of Burt Lancaster films and I've really enjoyed his presence in all of them.

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Yup strong film and William Bendix! I've become a big fan of Bendix since I started watching/rewatching noirs.
https://www.movieforums.com/communit...53#post2440053

The Blue Dahlia was my #13. My preferred Ladd & Lake choice. Brute Force was a great Dassin i watched some years back but haven't seen it since. Great choices.